1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of this invention relate generally to transport systems, and more particularly to a wheeled transport system configured for allowing one or more long, cumbersome objects to be towed and transported with relative ease.
2. Description of Related Art
Transporting surfboards, paddleboards, kayaks and other small, yet heavy and cumbersome, watercraft to and from the beach or other bodies of water is oftentimes accomplished using motor vehicles. However, getting the watercraft from the vehicle to the water's edge can prove difficult. Traditionally, the only option has been to carry the objects by hand. However, in response to this problem, wheeled devices, such as dollies, carts and the like, have been implemented to assist in selectively towing such objects. Similar wheeled devices have been created to assist in moving other types of long, cumbersome objects, such as construction materials and trees.
The following art defines the present state of this field:
U.S. Pat. No. 2,540,279 to Mosier is generally directed to a wheeled support means for supporting a small boat so that the boat may be towed over the road behind an automobile or may be moved about on the ground.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,966,368 to Engnell is generally directed to a supporting device for boats comprising an elongated bracket, a shaft extending longitudinally of said bracket and having wheels mounted thereon outwardly of each end of said bracket, an auxiliary support bar positioned at each end of said bracket inwardly of said wheels, two pairs of oppositely-disposed arms pivotally connected to said bracket inwardly of said auxiliary support bars, each pair of arms extending inwardly, a transverse boat keel clamping bar mounted on the inner ends of each pair of arms, a pair of springs connected to said bracket, each spring underlying a respective clamping bar and urging said clamping bar away from said bracket and from each other, and pivot means for said arms extending through said bracket and said pairs of arms, said arms having a plurality of spaced apart pivot means receiving apertures therethrough for longitudinally adjusting said arms on said pivot means.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,712,803 to Garcia is generally directed to a dolly for carrying sailboards having a frame made of lightweight tubing and two pneumatic tired wheels mounted independently on opposite sides of the frame. The frame utilizes a telescoping tube arrangement to enable it to provide rigid support for the sailboard, and to allow it to be collapsed into a small, relatively flat package for storage. The dolly is designed particularly, so as to be able to easily transport sailboards across soft sandy beaches, without sinking in the sand, as well as on hard paved surfaces.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,072,959 to Marullo is generally directed to a boat carrier for manually transporting a canoe in the field. The device allows a user to pull the canoe and any fishing gear to any distance in one easy trip. The boat carrier includes a quick disassemble frame for receiving the canoe near the midsection, a pair of transversely spaced-apart heavy terrain wheels attached to the frame, and a pair of hold down brackets for resiliently securing the canoe to the frame assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,580 to Cunningham is generally directed to a canoe toting apparatus which enables an individual to manually mount and transport a canoe or similar marine craft over reasonable distances. The apparatus includes a pair of large diameter wheels rotatably mounted on opposite ends of an adjustable length axle. Wheel stabilisers, coupled to the axle, may be pivoted into interfering engagement with the wheels to prevent the wheels from rotating while the marine craft is positioned on the toting apparatus. A pair of resilient guide members are slidably mounted over the axle and adapted to receive the underside of the marine craft. An adjustable length strap, coupled to the axle, is securable about the gunwales of the craft to secure the craft against the toting apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,348,327 to Gieske is generally directed to a collapsible surf or sailboard dolly having the option to be manually towed behind one walking or be trailered behind a bicycle using a new and improved universal hitch attached to a bicycle. The bicycle hitch mounts generally horizontally to the bicycle's accessory holes and clamped around frame's chainstay holes. The dolly has a rear main wheeled support assembly strapped to a board. The main support assembly has wheels which are removable (in seconds) without the use of any tools. The wheels are held to the assembly with a Velcro and strap wrapping arrangement which positively hold the wheels to the main support tube. The dolly has a separate arm structure which straps to the nose of the board and is held onto the board by the wedging effect of the strapping arrangement. The rear support assembly is held to the board with the same wedging effect. A tightened center coupling strap causes the front arm structure and rear main support strapping to wedge over the board. The dolly can be quickly attached to the bicycle hitch using a hitch pin inserted through a hole provided in the arm structure and a hitch eye bolt without any disassembly of the dollies manually towed structure. Therefore, the user can manually tow their board and associated gear easily to the water's edge or trailer it behind ones bicycle.
German Patent No. 19538080 to Jaksch is generally directed to a transporting device having two wheels on a common axle and beams folding on two latch joints and connected by transporting tie-rods. The wheel and latch joint axles are aligned with each other. The latch joints are unlocked in the folded position. The beams can be turned in a single hand movement about an opening angle to engage the latch joints in the position for use. General-purpose locking joints can be used for the latch joints.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,279 to Hart is generally directed to a self-stowing canoe transporting apparatus which enables manual transport of a canoe over rough terrain in an upright position. The transporting apparatus includes a dual-wheeled dolly with a cradle having contoured constrained abutment portions which support the aft bottom or keel of a canoe. The transporting apparatus is attachable to the canoe without drilling, welding, use of adhesives, or any form of modification of the canoe. The dolly is pivotally attached at the stern of the canoe enabling rotational motion of the dolly to an aft deck stowage position during use of the canoe on the water. In portaging, the cradle rotates under the canoe, and secure engagement of the cradle with the canoe aft bottom or keel is accomplished with tensioning straps.
U.S. Design Pat. No. D427,407 to Witt is generally directed to an ornamental design for a boat carrier.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,900 to MacDonald is generally directed to a cart for moving small watercraft, such as canoes or kayaks. The cart supports one or two watercraft in a stacked configuration. The cart is constructed to be strong and durable, and provide an easy and simple way to load and move small watercraft. The cart is constructed from an arcuate metal tube having a pair of arms, one each extending from one end of the arcuate metal tube. The arms each support a wheel. The watercraft fits through the arcuate tube, and the bottom on the watercraft rests on the ends of the arcuate tube. The arcuate tube lies at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the watercraft with the middle of the arcuate tube resting on the top of the watercraft, forward of the part of the watercraft where the bottom of the watercraft rests on the ends of the arcuate tube. A second arcuate metal tube may be pivotally attached to the first arcuate tube. The two tubes are connected at their middle. When the tubes are coincident, one watercraft may be supported. When the second tube is pivoted 180.degree. relative to the first tube, two watercraft can be carried simultaneously.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,364,336 to Jenkins is generally directed to a transport device for one end of a flat bottomed rowboat or a canoe with a keel. The device includes a generally flat rectangular support member having a generally flat top surface provided with a central flat bottomed recess dimensioned to receive the keel of a canoe. The top surface of the support member is provided with a resilient high friction coating that will resist the lateral displacement of a canoe or rowboat on the support member. The device further includes a wheel and axle assembly and a quick release securing unit. The support member is cantilevered relative to the wheel and axle assembly and the wheels are positioned beneath the opposed sides of the support member.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,926,292 to Weeks is generally directed to a cart for transporting a load. The cart has a frame having an upper end and a lower end, at least two laterally spaced apart support surfaces secured adjacent the upper end of the frame, and a pair of transversely opposed wheels adjacent the lower end of the frame to rollably support the frame above a surface. Each wheel is positionable in either one of two laterally offset positions relative to the support surface. In the first offset position, each wheel is positioned laterally inboard of the support surface, and in the second offset position, the wheel is positioned laterally outboard of the support surface.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0186635 to Stewart is generally directed to a
U.S. Pat. No. 7,243,928 to Singer is generally directed to a lightweight foldable cart for transporting on wheels one end of a small boat. The cart includes a pair of identical frame or strut members, each being U-shaped with spaced arms extending parallel to each other from ends of a rear plate. Distal ends of the arms each include an opening for a shaft so that when the shaft extends through the openings joining the distal ends of the arms the frame members can be rotated about the shaft from an extended, deployed position to a folded position for storage. Each rear plate has an opening for an axle, which extends through the openings in the rear plate for supporting rotatable wheels at each end of the axle. A boat supporting bumper is mounted on the distal ends of the arms when the strut members are extended into the deployed position. The bumper is shaped to accommodate a bottom of the end of the boat to be supported and transported.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,296,816 to Wilnau is generally directed to a lightweight equipment transport kit and system for transporting rigid items having a wheel assembly; a head piece defining an enclosure for insertion of the front end of the equipment; a tail piece defining an enclosure for insertion and support of the rear end of the equipment, and further having a mount or axle sleeve for bearing the wheel assembly in a substantially transverse orientation to a direction of transportation, and wherein the wheel assembly supports the tail piece; and a tensioner capable of fastening to the head piece, fastening to the tail piece or the wheel assembly mounted on the tail piece, and creating a tension between so as to seat the front end of the equipment within head piece and the rear end of the equipment within the tail piece. The equipment transport system is adaptable for manual towing, vehicular towing, and mounting onto an automobile roof rack.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,775,530 to Darling, III is generally directed to an integrated multi-purpose deployment field system which enables a user to build a plurality of field pieces of equipment for field use in recreation, rescue, medicine, military operations, disaster relief and non-motorized cargo hauling. The system includes assembling the field equipment from a plurality of interchangeable T-shaped load support components. Each load support component has a generally horizontal load support member which is configured to support a particular type of load in the field, and a generally vertically extending support strut which extends from a midsection of the horizontal load support member. A load support attachment, such as a wheel axle or a cross brace, engages with each horizontal load support member, and joins the horizontal support members so that the T-shaped load support components, vertical struts, and load support attachments form a load bearing structure when assembled.
U.S. Design Pat. No. D624,725 to Turnell is generally directed to an ornamental design for a cart.
The prior art described above teaches various types of wheeled transport devices for towing boards and other small watercraft, but does not teach such a wheeled transport system that is modular in construction and capable of being selectively arranged into one of a deployed state and a stored state. Additionally, the prior art fails to teach such a wheeled transport system that is capable of selectively supporting a plurality of long, cumbersome objects in either a vertically stacked fashion or a laterally stacked fashion. Aspects of the present invention fulfill these needs and provide further related advantages as described in the following summary.